Another Teenager Gang-raped In Anambra

Another Teenager Gang-raped In Anambra

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In Abagana, a community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria’s South-east, three men have been accused of gang-raping a 15-year-old girl.

The police spokesperson in the state, Deputy Superintendent of Police Tochukwu Ikenga, revealed this in a statement on Monday.

According to the statement, police operatives, along with vigilante operatives, arrested the suspects on 8th July during a routine patrol in the community. The suspects were identified as Chimezie Odugwu (21), Nnamdi Anodebe (19), and Jude Onua (48).

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The suspects allegedly confessed to collaborating to lure the victim into their house when they found her wandering at a junction in the community, subsequently raping her. Later, the third suspect, Jude Onua, claimed to offer shelter to the victim in his apartment, where he also raped her.

The police and vigilante operatives intervened and rescued the girl.

This incident occurred just days after a report of a 19-year-old girl being gang-raped by six men in Anam, another community in Anambra West Local Government Area. Six of the alleged perpetrators have been arrested, while three others are still at large.

In a separate incident, a man named Chinenye Ezemehege, a security guard at Ekwulobia Market in Aguata Local Government Area, was arrested for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl. The suspect claimed to have been paying the minor between N500 and N1,000 for her services.

Additionally, police operatives from Atani Divisional Headquarters arrested a 38-year-old man named Odimako Ikenga for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl, a crime reported to the police on 28th August 2022.

The suspect, who had been on the police’s wanted list in an ongoing investigation into the rape case, hails from Ossomala, a community in Ogbaru Local Government Area.

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Aderemi Adeoyi, commended the police and vigilante operatives for their efforts in arresting the suspects. He expressed his determination to address the increasing cases of sexual crimes and gender-based violence in the state and pledged to track down sexual offenders, especially those who victimize minors.

Once the investigations are concluded, the suspects will be arraigned in court.

In Nigeria, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, enacted in 2015, outlaws all forms of violence against women and girls, including rape and female circumcision. Offenders convicted under this act face life imprisonment or a maximum of a 14-year jail term, depending on their age and the type of violence committed. The Criminal Code Act, applicable in Southern Nigeria, also prohibits rape, with Section 358 prescribing life imprisonment for rape offenders upon conviction.